At least 14, mostly policeman, killed in separate attacks in Egypt

At least 14 people, mostly Egyptian policemen, were killed in separate operations when militants attacked a police station in the provincial capital of Egypt's northern Sinai and detonated a roadside bomb against a passing armoured vehicle, officials said.

Northern Sinai has witnessed a series of complex and successful attacks targeting Egyptian security forces, many of which have been claimed by a local affiliate of the Islamic State group. Twitter accounts affiliated with the group claimed responsibility for the Sunday attacks.

In the largest of the day's attacks, a suspected car bomber detonated his vehicle at the entrance of a large police station in el-Arish, the capital of North Sinai province, killing at least six, including five policemen, and injuring several civilians, the Interior Ministry said.

By nightfall, Health Ministry Spokesman Hossam Abdel-Ghaffar in Cairo said at least eight bodies were pulled from the rubble, while 45 people has been injured, including some who were in critical condition.

The blast left a deep crater in the residential area and damaged several homes nearby. Officials said rescue crews were still searching through the rubble for survivors and the death toll was expected to rise.

The explosion was the second attack on Sunday on troops in Sinai. Earlier in the day, six soldiers, including an officer, were killed when a roadside bomb struck their armoured vehicle travelling south of el-Arish. In a third smaller attack, militants clashed with soldiers at a mobile checkpoint in Rafah wounding one police officer and two soldiers.